Spring-starter for internal-combustion engines



W. H. KUHLMAN. SPRING STARTER FOR IINTEBNAL comsusnou ENGINES.

APPLICATQON FILED FEB. 25.1919. 1,325,643.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

fnvem or' WW/z'am E Z1 a/Wman 7 W. H. KUHLMAN. SPRING STARIER FORINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-Q5. I919.

Patented Dec. 23,1919;

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. KUHLMAN, OF FERGUS FALLS, MINNESOTA.

SPRING-STARTER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Application filed February 25, 1919. Serial No. 279,118.

Engines, of which the following is aspeci fication.

My invention relates to spring starters for internal combustion enginesand an object is to provide a device of this kind intended particularlyfor use in connection with tractors. To this end I construct a device ofthis character in a strong, durable manner having a minimum number ofparts which are liable to get out of order. An object in particular isto construct a spring starter which the operator may cause to be woundby the engine as soon as the latter has started although, if desired,the spring can be wound at any time while the en he is running. Thespring when wound is eld in this condition until it is desired to startthe engine, whereupon the operator releases the spring which thenuncoils and exerts a cranking action upon the engine.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent fromthe detailed description thereof and the novel features embodied in myinventive idea will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the applicationof my invention in one form,

Figure 1 is a side view of the device applied to an internal combustionengine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the mechanism which is mostclosely associated with the motor spring. Fig. 8 is a view correspondingto Fig. 1 showing the operat ing mechanism in a different position. Fig.

4 is a view in section on a line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the construction shown in the drawings, 10 designates aninternal combustion engine, the fiy-wheel 12 of which is provided with abeveled gear 14 with which a beveled gear 16 is adapted to mesh. Thegear 16 is splined on a shaft 18 which is journaled in bearings 20 and22 andthis shaft, adjacent to hearing 20, is provided with a universalcoupling 24. The gear 16 g has a sleeve portion provided with a grooveinto which fits a yoke 26 on the end of a rod 28 slidable in a guide 30secured to the bearing 20. The other end of this rod is attached to ahand lever 82 pivoted at 34 to a support so as to be within reach of theoperator. The hand lever 32 is provided with the cus tomary detent 38adapted to engage either of two notches in a segment 40. The gear 16 maythus be caused to mesh with, or be taken out of mesh with the gear 14and will be held in. either position, as desired, by the detent. Splinedon the portion of the shaft 18 which is between the universal coupling24 and the bearing 22 is a friction disk 42,

preferably of fiber, having a reduced portion provided with a grooveinto which fits a yoke 44 on the end'of a rod 46, the other end of whichis attached to a hand lever 48 pivoted to the support 36. The hand leveris provided with the customary detent 50 adapted to engage a notchedsegment 52. The friction disk 42 is adapted to cooperate with a frictiondisk 54 in a manner now to be described. The bearing 22 is mounted so asto have a slight up and down movement in the forked upper end of'asupport 56 and the bearing is urged upwardly by a spring 58- so that itsupper surface is in con tact with a cam member 60 pivoted on a pin 62extending through the upper end of the fork. The upper end of the cammember is slotted to constitute a guide for the rod 46, which isprovided with two engaging membore 64, 66 adjustably secured thereto. Bymeans of the hand lever 48 the disk 42 may be slid to either side of thedisk 54 and at intermediate positions the disk 42 will be raised fromcontact with the disk 54 by means of the spring 58' which lifts thebearing 22, this movement being permitted by the universal coupling 24.When the disk 42 comes into predetermined. position at either side ofthe disk 54 it is caused to en gage the latter on account of one or theother of the engaging members 64 and 66 coming into contact with theupper end of the cam member, thereby forcing the cam to depress thebearing'22. ,On account of the members 64 and 66 being adjustablethedisk 42 may be caused to engage the disk 54 at any desired distancefrom the periphery of the latter and the two disks may be held inengagement when the-disk 42 is in the position shown in full lines inFig. 3 by means of the detent 50 being engaged with the proper notch inthe segment 52. It is evident that the relative speed between the disks42 and 54 may be'varied for either position of the disk 42,: as desired.As. is best shown in Fig. 2, the disk 5% is secured to a shaft 68 whichis rotatably mounted in a sleeve 70 which in turn is rotatably mountedin a bearing 72. A coil spring 7% has its inner end secured to thesleeve 70 so that, as seen in this figure, the inner coil passes towardthe rear and then around toward the front, a number of coils beingproduced, and the outer end of the spring is then secured to a rod 76which is screw threaded into the lower surface of the disk 54: near itsperiphery. A ratchet wheel 78 is secured to the lower end of the sleeve'70, the teeth of the ratchet, as shown in Figs. 1 and :2, beinginclined toward the right and being engaged by a hooked pawl 80 heldinto engagement with the teeth by a spring 82. l he ratchet wheel 78 hasan angular portion ea, or, if desired, the lower end of the sleeve 70may be provided in any suitable manner with an angular portion wherebythe spring may be manually wound whenever it is desirable to do so bymeans of a tool. A ratchet wheel 86 is secured to the lower end of theshaft 68, the teeth of this ratchet being inclined toward the left oroppositely to the teeth of the ratchet 78 and being engaged by astraight pawl 88 held into en agement with the teeth by a spring 90. Asshown in Figs. 2 and a, a bell c *ank lever 92 has its end 93 inengagement with the pawl 88 so that the latter is disengaged from theratchet when the other arm of the bell crank is pulled down by a rod 9%which connects this arm with a foot lever 96 within reach of the operator. As shown in Fig. 2, the disk 5i may be provided with a dependingflange 55 in order to protect the spring M from unwin ling too far.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be obvious from theforegoing description. If the spring should happen to be unwound at thetime when the engine is not running the spring may be wound by applyinga tool in the angular portion 8%, whereby it is wound up from its innerend, the outer end being prevented from moving by the straight pawl 88which restrains the shaft 68 and the disk 54:. Assuming that the springis wound and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and it isdesired to start the engine, the hand lever 32 is shoved toward theright to mesh the gears 14: and 16 and the hand lever 48 is shovedtoward the left to bring the disk as into contact with by dotted linesin Fi 3 and the disk 5i will be rotated in the direction shown by thedotted arrow to re-wind the spring from its outer end, the inner endthereof and the sleeve 70 being prevented from rotation by the pawl 80.After the engine has been started and before the spring is completelyre-wound the operator releases the foot lever 96 so that the pawl 88 mayretain the spring in its re-wound position. It is impossible toover-wind the spring since when it has been placed under the propertension the disk 4.2 will slip on the disk 54: if it has not alreadybeen raised from contact therewith. I consider it preferable duringrewinding to hold down the disk 1-2 by hand and therefore no notches areshown at the right hand of the segment 52. However, it is intended assoon as the spring has been re-wound that the operator shall shift thegear 16 out of mesh with the gear 14. The spring can, of course, berewound from the engine at any time the latter is running, but it isbetter practice to cause the re-winding to be performed as soon as theengine is started. My invention provides an eflicient spring starter inwhich no clutches or brakes are employed and it embodies a constructionwhich does not readily get out of order. The entire starting mechanismis preferably disconnected from the gear 1eon the flywheel except duringthe operation of starting and re-winding and the gear 16 is put intomesh with the gear 1t when the latter is stationary. An extremelyefficient construction is thus provided in which the parts are notsubjected to particular strain and the construction is of a ruggedcharacter so as to be well adapted for use in connection with tractors.It is obvious, however, that it may be used with internal combustionengines no matter to what use they may be applied.

1 claim:

1. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a coiled spring,a rotatable disk to which the outer end of said spring is secured, ashaft adapted to be operatively connected with the engine, auniversalcoupling intermediate the length of said shaft, a movable bearing forone of the portions of said shaft, a disk splined on said shaft, meansfor sliding said disk to bring it adjacent either of the opposite sidesof the fiat surface of said first mentioned disk, and means fordepressing said movable bearing to hold said splined disk in contactwith said first mentioned disk when said splined disk occupies eitherone of the positions mentioned. v

2. A starter for internal combustion e11- gines comprising a coiledspring, a rotatable disk to which the outer end of said spring issecured, a shaft to which said disk is secured, a sleeve within whichsaid shaftis rotatably mounted and to which the inner end of said springis attached, a ratchet wheel secured to said shaft, a pawl for engagingsaid ratchet wheel to hold said spring in wound condition, means forreleasing said pawl when it is desired to start the engine, a shaftadapted to be operatively connected with the engine, a disk splined onsaid shaft, and means whereby said last mentioned disk may be broughtinto contact with either of the opposite sides of the flat surface ofsaid rotatable disk.

3. A starter for internal combustion engines comprising a coiled spring,a rotatable disk to which the outer end of said spring is secured, ashaft to which said disk is secured, a rotatable sleeve within whichsaid shaft is rotatably mounted and to which the inner end of saidspring is attached, a ratchet wheel secured to said sleeve, a pawl forpre venting rotation of said ratchet wheel in one direction, a ratchetwheel secured to said shaft, said ratchet wheel having teeth inclined inthe opposite direction with rela tion to those of said first mentionedratchet wheel, a pawl adapted to engage the teeth of said secondmentioned ratchet wheel, means for releasing said last mentioned pawlwhen it is desired to start the engine, a shaft adapted to beoperatively connected with the engine, a disk splined on the said shaft,and means whereby said last mentioned disk may be brought into contactwith either of the opposite sides of the flat surface of said rotatabledisk.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WILLIAM H. KUHLMAN.

